Process for locked shoe construction

ABSTRACT

A shoe construction and process utilizing a prefinished outer sole assembly which is adhesively secured to and locked in predetermined registration with a tightly lasted shoe upper. The finished shoe is characterized by the absence of any lasting means. In one embodiment of the process, the shoe upper and associated upper components are lasted to a temporary lasting plug which is subsequently removed prior to outsole attaching.

United States Patent [151 3,696,455

Batchelder et a1. Oct. 10, 1972 [54] PROCESS FOR LOCKED SHOE [56] References Cited CONSTRUCTION UNITED STATES PATENTS 2 I t [7 1 gg iiig mfg 2,141,998 12/1938 Maccarone ..12/145 Mass 2,963,722 12/1960 Stix ..12/l45 3,302,228 2/1967 Bryant et a1. ..l2/145 [73] Assignee: Batchelder-Rubico, Inc., Boston,

Mass. Primary Examiner-Patrick D. Lawson [22] Filed: Jam 7, 1971 Attorney-Russell, Ch1tt1ck & Pfund [21] Appl. No.: 104,756 [57] ABSTRACT R l ted Us A Ii 5 D ta A shoe construction and process utilizing a prefinished e a v pp ca on a outer sole assembly which is adhesively secured to and DlVlSiOn 0f 1967- locked in predetermined registration with a tightly lasted shoe upper. The finished shoe is characterized [52] US. Cl ..l2/145 by the absence of any lasting means. In one embodi- [51] Int. Cl. ..A43d 21/00 ment of the process, the shoe upper and associated [58] Field of Search ..12/ 142 R, 145 upper components are lasted to a temporary lasting plug which is subsequently removed prior to outsole attaching.

4 Claims, 29 Drawing Figures 'ATENTEDnm 10 mm 3,595, 455

SHEET 3 [IF 5 Fig 4e 165 .19. 4w Edgy-1. l 5% 5e mm .480, .46 4 50 5a 1-- .30.

ra a.

PATENTEDucI 10 m2 3 696. 455

sum u or 5 'Q'IZWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIA a 1' I 2 I I I i I PROCESS FOR LOCKED SHOE CONSTRUCTION This is a division of application Ser. No. 689,884, filed Dec. I2, 1967 by Charles F. Batchelder and Jerome A. Rubico for LOCKED SHOE CONSTRUC- TION AND PROCESS FOR SAME.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to shoemaking in general, and more particularly, to a shoe construction utilizing interlocking or overlocking components to provide controlled registration of the upper and the sole elements.

In the shoemaking industry, cement process shoes have been manufactured for some time with prefinished outersoles having either a molded or laminated construction. While such prefinished soles simplify the manufacturing process and introduce cer tain obvious economies, their use is predicated upon the accurate registration of the prefinished sole on the lasted upper. Present practices in the shoemaking art do not provide a sufficient degree of precision in the registration of the shoe components to permit full utilization of the inherent structural features of this type of shoe construction.

It is accordingly, a general object of the present invention to provide a shoe construction and process which utilizes locking components to obtain an accurate registration between the upper and the sole elements of the shoe.

It is a specific object of the present invention to provide a shoe construction and process in which the positioning of prefinished soles in their designed relationship to the lasted uppers is automatically controlled with precision well beyond that of the present shoemaking practices.

It is a feature of the present invention that the novel process is particularly suitable for use in producing cement process shoes.

It is another feature of the present invention that shoemaking in accordance with the process of the invention is much simpler, quicker and less expensive than by present methods. In addition, the risks of damage to shoes during the manufacturing process are greatly lessened.

It is another object of the invention to provide a finished shoe which is not only light and very flexible, but also has excellent wearing qualities.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a finished shoe which is characterized by the absence of any lasting means at least in the forepart of the shoe.

These objects and other objects and features of the invention will best be understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention selected for purposes of illustration, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the bottom of the last used in practicing the process of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in cross-section of the last taken along lines 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view in cross-section showing a portion of the last illustrated in FIG. 1 having a marginal band of metal;

FIG. 4 is another view of a portion of the last illustrated in FIG. 1 showing in cross-section the last having a corrugated metal marginal band;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the last showing a marginal band broken into a plurality of elements;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a temporary lasting plug used in practicing the process of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a view in cross-section of the lasting plug taken along lines 7--7 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a view in cross-section of a portion of the last illustrated in FIG. 1 showing the lasting plug positioned thereon;

FIG. 9 is a view in cross-section of a portion of the last and lasting plug illustrated in FIG. 8 showing a shoe upper and upper lining lasted to the lasting plug;

FIG. 10, 11, and 12 are the same view as illustrated in FIG. 9 showing diagrammatically the cutting and severance of the lasting plug and the portion of the upper and upper lining lasted thereto, and the subsequent removal of the temporary lasting plug;

FIG. 13 is a view in cross-section of a portion of the last illustrated in FIG. 1 showing an alternate embodiment wherein the upper and upper lining are handlasted to the last without using the temporary lasting plug illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7;

FIG. 14 is a view in cross-section of a prefinished outersole and heel assembly;

FIG. 15 is a'plan view of the prefinished outersole and heel assembly illustrated in F I6. 14;

FIG. 16 is a view in cross-section of the prefinished assembly taken along lines l6-l6 of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a view in cross-section showing a portion of the last, the lasted upper and upper lining and a portion of the prefinished outersole and heel assembly illustrated in FIGS. 14 through 16;

FIG. 18 is a plan view of a template which is used to accurately position an interior island in superposed relation to a sole element;

FIG. 19 is a view in cross-section showing the template illustrated in FIG. 18 positioned on top of the sole element with the island seated within the inner periphery of the template;

FIG. 20 is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of a prefinished sole assembly having an upstanding peripheral marginal element;

FIG. 21 is a view in cross-section taken along lines 21--2l in'FIG. 20 showing the sole and the upstanding peripheral marginal element;

FIGS. 22 through 24 illustrate, in cross-section and diagrammatic form, the use of the alternate embodiment of the prefinished sole assembly depicted in FIGS. 20 and 21;

FIG. 25 illustrates, in cross-section and diagrammatic form, a finished, lined shoe having a socklining and an interlocking construction between the lasted upper and the prefinished sole assembly;

FIG. 26 illustrates, in cross-section and diagrammatic form, a finished, unlined shoe having an interlocking construction between the lasted upper and the prefinished sole assembly;

FIG. 27 illustrates, in cross-section and diagrammatic form, a finished, lined shoe having a socklining, a cushion element and an overlocking construction between the lasted upper and the prefinished sole assembly; and,

FIG. 28 illustrates, in cross-section and diagrammatic form, a finished, Littleway stitched, unlined shoe having a socklining, a cushion element and an overlooking construction between the lasted upper and the prefinished sole assembly;

FIG. 29 is similar to FIG. 28 without the sock lining and cushion element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION GENERAL The preferred embodiment of the present invention utilizes four cooperating elements to achieve the desired accurate registration of the upper and sole members of the shoe while at the same time eliminating many of the time consuming and, therefore, expensive operations in the shoemaking process. The four ele ments, which will be described hereinafter separately and in greater detail, comprise:

l. A shoe last, indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, having its bottom area formed with a relatively narrow, upstanding peripheral marginal area, a circumferential cutting groove adjacent to the inner periphery of the upstanding marginal area and a depressed central core area within the upstanding marginal area.

2. A lasting means or plug, indicated generally by the reference numeral 12, which is shaped to the contour of the cutting groove in the last bottom and temporarily secured within the depressed interior bottom area of the last.

3. A completed shoe upper and its components, indicated generally by the reference numeral 14, which are pulled over the last and attached to the lasting means 12. After heat setting, all parts of the shoe upper and its components that are attached to the lasting means are severed along the line defined by the cutting groove and then discarded together with the lasting means leaving an opening in the interior bottom area of the lasted upper equivalent to the area defined by the cutting groove in the last bottom.

4. A prefinished outersole assembly, indicated generally by the reference numeral 16, which is fitted with an upstanding core or island. having a contour that is equivalent to the opening in the lasted upper. The prefinished outersole assembly is cemented or otherwise secured to the inwardly turned portion of the lasted upper with the upstanding core or island providing accurate registration of the outersole as sembly components with respect to a lasted upper.

Having briefly described the four cooperating elements and their interrelationship during the shoemaking process, we will now describe'in detail each of these element with particular reference to the drawings.

THE LAST Turning now to the drawings and specifically to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, there is shown in plan view and cross-section, respectively, a last which is suitable for practicing the process of the present invention. The last 10 has a construction which is similar to that of a conventional shoe last except for the interior area of the last bottom. The circumferential marginal area of the last is formed in the same manner as a normal last for a width approximately three-eighths of an inch measured inwardly from the periphery of the last. Extending circumferentially around the lastbottom and following a contour that is approximately three-eighths of an inch in from the periphery of the last, is a narrow cutting groove 18 which has a vertical depth of approximately three-sixteenths of an inch measured on its outer face 18a. The inner face 18b of the cutting groove 18 is substantially parallel to the outer face and defines a last bottom core area 20 which is depressed below the normal surface of the last by an amount approximately equivalent to, or a little more than, the average thickness of the upper materials being lasted.

Looking at FIG. 2, it can be seen that the entire last bottom comprises a slightly elevated circumferential marginal land 22, the cutting groove 18 and the depressed central area of the last bottom 20. The outer periphery or face 18a of cutting groove 18 defines a registration area 23 on the bottom of the shoe last. The length of the registration area 23 is identified in FIG. 1 by the letterL, while the width of the registration area is shown in FIG. 2 by the letter W.

The last 10 can be made of wood, plastic or a metal such as, for example, aluminum, or a combination of metal with wood or plastic. Existing lasts can be refitted for the new last construction. Although the last 10 will cost somewhat more than present lasts, this increased cost is more than offset by the economies realized by the concomitant increase in the speed of lasting. It will be appreciated that with the present invention, the time that each shoe is on a last is cut to a fraction of the time heretofore required. With this faster turnover, fewer lasts are needed and the per pair cost for lasts is substantially reduced.

In order to increase the durability of the last and at the same time improve the accuracy of registration of the prefinished outer sole assembly 16 with respect to the upper and its components 14, it is desirable that at least the marginal land 22 around the circumference of the last bottom be made of metal. We have found that the least expensive and in many ways the most satisfac- 'control the precision of the finished shoe. The interior face or surface 18b of the cutting groove does not have to be as accurately positioned.

The widthof the exposed surface of the metal band 24, which forms a marginal area of the last bottom, is equal to the desired sole attaching area for the upper and its components 14. If the band 24 is made of gun metal, it should have a thickness of approximately onesixteenth of an inch and can be attached to the last bottom by conventional means such as, for example, screws or nails.

The upstanding band 24 around the last bottom can be given a knurled or corrugated exterior surface, as illustrated in FIG. 4, to provide an increased degree of mechanical bonding between the last and the lasted upper and its components during the interval of time between the trimming of the upper and the attaching of the sole thereto, as will be described hereinafter in greater detail. Such knurling or corrugation is of greatest value in the shank area and, if limited to that area, the corrugations will not add materially to the difficulties of last pulling.

It should be understood that the land 22 or band 24 herein described is actually two U-shaped lands or bands, one on each portion of the hinged last as illustrated in FIG. 1. For lasts with pointed toes, it is advantageous to use a separate toe piece 26 and separate side pieces 28a and 28b together with a heel piece 30 as illustrated in FIG. 5. In addition, if desired, the toe piece can have a rounded cutting groove and a greater width at the point where it butts against the side pieces 28a and 28b thereby forming a delta-shaped toe piece.

The preceding description has been directed to the preferred embodiment of the last to be used in practicing the process of our invention. However, it should be understood that it is possible to practice the process with lasts that have a cutting groove but no interior area of reduced vertical thickness, or even on lasts without a cutting groove providing such lasts are appropriately marked to define a corresponding registration area.

THE LASTING MEANS The second cooperating element is the lasting means or plug 12 which is depicted in plan view and crosssection in FIGS. 6 and 7, respectively. The lasting plug 12 can be cut from a sheet of any suitable material to a contour corresponding to, but slightly smaller than, that of the outer face 18a of the cutting groove on the bottom of the last on which the plug is to be used. Looking at FIGS. 2 and 8, the lasting plug 12 has a dimension slightly less, e.g., approximately one thirtysecond of an inch less, than the width of the registration area recessed portion of the last bottom. This dimension is identified by the capital letter W in FIG. 2.

The lasting plug serves only as a lasting means to which the lasting margins of the upper and its components 14 are to be attached. The lasting means or plug 12 preferably should have a thickness of from 0.020 to 0.040 inch, a sufficient stiffness to withstand the strains of wiping in the margins of a shoe upper without crumpling and moderate tear resistance. The lasting plug can be fabricated from any suitable material, such as, cloth, paper, plastic, metal and the like.

For lasting purposes, the plug 12 is preferably temporarily attached to the last bottom over the interior core area and within the upstanding marginal land or band 22 or 24, respectively. The attachment can be by any conventional means, such as, cement, tacks or tape wafers. It is also possible to use a lasting plug having its own means for attachment in the form of a coating'of adhesive or an adhesive impregnated in the plug material if the material is a fabric.

THE UPPER AND ITS COMPONENTS The upper and its components, indicated generally by the reference numeral 14, are cut, stitched and completed in accordance with present standard practices in the shoemaking art, except that the patterns for the upper 32 and upper lining 34 should provide proper lasting allowances. Since no insole or other lasting means is incorporated at least in the forepan of the finished shoe construction of the present invention, the usable lasting allowance of the upper and its components will be increased automatically by the thickness of the omitted insole. However, it should be noted that the upper materials 14 must span across the peripheral land 22 or metal band 24 before their lasting margins 36 will overlie the lasting means or plug 12 to which they will be subsequently attached as hereinafter described. It will be appreciated that since the upper and its components are lasted without an insole, the lasting will be not only tighter but also more positive.

For purposes of clarity, only the upper 32 and its lining 34 have been illustrated in FIGS. 9 through 13. However, it should be understood that other upper components, such as, doublers or fabric interliners, counters, toe boxes, etc. can be positioned between the upper and its lining. Moreover, the method of the present invention is not specifically limited to shoe constructions utilizing both an upper and a' lining, but instead can also be used in the manufacture of unlined shoes.

The term upper as used herein and in the claims hereof shall mean the upper itself and any of its associated components, if such components are employed in the shoe construction. This definition is in accordance with the generally accepted usage of the word upper in the shoe industry.

LASTING The upper is now lasted with conventional lasting equipment and cement. If wood or plastic lasts are employed, the uppers can be hand-lasted with tacks or cement in the fine old fashioned way of first lasting the lining 34 and then the upper 32. For such hand-lasting, the lasting means or lasting plug 12 need not be used as illustrated in FIG. 13.

However, regardless of the particular method employed, all of the lasting attachments either to the plug or the last, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 13, respective ly, are made inside of the raised marginal land 22 which extends around at least a portion of the last bottom. For cement lasting to a lasting plug 12, the outer marginal area of the exposed face of the plug can be coated with an activatable cement before or after the plug is temporarily attached to the last within the recess of the last bottom. Alternatively, the cement can be applied during the lasting operation.

It should be noted that no cement is used between the last 10 and the interior component of the upper, e.g., the upper lining 34, around the marginal area defined by the land 22 on the last bottom. On other land, cement should be used between the adjacent surfaces of any components of the upper which overlie the land 22 when the upper is lasted. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the adjacent surfaces of the upper 32 and its lining 34 would be cemented together within the area overlying the land 22.

The portion of the exterior surface of the lasted upper 34 which overlies the last outside of the registration area 23 i.e. above land 22 or the metal band 24, is the area to which the prefinished outersole assembly 16 is secured by conventional means, such as, for example, cement, tacks, staples or fiber fastenings. This portion of the upper is hereinafter referred to as the sole-attaching margin of the upper and is identified by the reference numeral 38 as shown in FIG. 12. In the finished shoe, as illustrated in FIGS. 25-28, the sole attaching margin 38 can be described as an intumed exterior sole attaching margin. This descriptive terminology will be used in the claims of the present application.

After the lasting operation has been completed, the sole-attaching margin of the lasted upper is normally prepared for sole-laying by conventional methods, such as, wire brushing or otherwise, and any upstanding wrinkled material or the like within the area of the soleattaching margin 38 is flattened out or removed.

The lasted upper is then heat-set or allowed to dry on the last. After setting or drying is completed, the portions of the upper and its components which are attached to the lasting plug 12 (FIG. or the last bottom itself (FIG. 13) are completely severed from the sole-attaching margin 38 of the upper by cutting with a small knife or by other means around the contour defined by the outer face 18a of the cutting groove. This sequence is illustrated diagrammatically in FIGS. 10 and 11.

After cutting, the entire lasting means or plug 12 together with the excess upper 32 and lining 34 and any cement, tapes or tacks is then removed from the last and discarded, as illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 12. At this point in the shoemaking operation, the lasted upper has a smooth peripheral sole-attaching margin 38 overlying the land portion of the last bottom and conforming to the periphery of an open registration area having an accurately predetermined contour. It will be appreciated that this contour is determined by the position of the cutting groove 18 on the bottom surface of the last. Since the cutting groove can be accurately machined, the inner peripheral contour or edge 38a of the sole-attaching margin can be precisely determined and is not dependent upon the particular skills of the operator in the shoemaking process.

SOLE LAYING The lasted upper is now ready for sole laying. We have found from experiments with the process of the present invention that there is a risk of lateral spreading of the two opposite portions of the sole attaching margin 38 of the lasted upper in the shank area just back of the ball. In these two opposite portions, and especially on the inner side of the shoe bottom, the upper materials are noticeably stretched during the lasting operation. With the extra tight lasting that is basic to the present concept of lasting directly over the last bottom itself without any insole thereon, the tension created in the stretched material naturally tends to retract them towards their initial dimensions. It should be noted also that in this area the sloping undersides of the last are most nearly in the same plane as that of the last bottom, a condition which denies the lasted upper the advantage of the mechanical bond which is provided around the rest of the last where the sides and the bottom of the last meet nearly at right angles.

Spreading as outlined above can only happen after the severance of the lasting plug 12 from the sole attaching margin of the upper and before the application and attachment of the prefinished outersole assembly 16 thereto. In commercial practice the time during which the bottom is open should be quite short. With leather uppers which react well to heat setting the risk of such spreading is minimal. With uppers of woven fabrics or of synthetic imitation leathers, such as, Cor fam or the like, the risk is greater.

Several methods of preventing such spreading can be employed. A simple and preferred procedure is as follows: l the core of the last bottom for in inch or more lengthwise just back of the ball area is depressed a little deeper than the rest; (2) the lasting plug is cut in two parts by cutting across the width of the plug from the cutting groove on one side to the cutting groove on the other side along the forward and back edges of the area of increased depression, thereby leaving a cross strip of the lasting plug temporarily in place as a tie bar; (3) the prefinished outersole assembly is attached in the usual way, thereby forcing the cross strip or tie bar down into the deeper area of the last bottom and at the same time pulling in the opposite portions of the sole attaching margin 38 at the sides of the deeper area to produce an even tighter lasting of the upper; (4) the last is pulled from the shoe; and, finally, (5) the temporary tie bar is cut out and discarded. Of course other methods, such as the use of a single faced adhesive tape positioned under the upper to hold the opposite portions of the sole attaching margin, can be used to minimize the risk of spreading.

The prefinished outersole assembly 16 can be secured to the lasted upper by any conventional means, such as those mentioned previously, but preferably, sole-attaching cement is employed to secure the shoe elements. Depending upon the particular type of soleattaching cement to be used, it may be desirable to run a coating of cement around the sole-attaching margin 38 of the lasted upper, before or after the above described and illustrated severance, and before removal of the lasting means or plug from the last.

It should be noted that since a specially fitted last having a peripheral land or band 22 and 24, respectively, is normally used, greater pressure is concentrated on the sole attaching margin 38, thereby producing a much more positive band between the upper and the prefinished sole assembly. This concentrated pressure permits a narrower sole attaching margin to be used for this type of shoe construction.

THE PREFINISI-IED OUTERSOLE ASSEMBLY Turning now to FIGS. 14, k, and 16 of the drawings, there is shown a prefinished outersole assembly 16 which, preferably, should be completely finished and, with the possible exception of the attaching cement, should be ready for sole laying before it leaves the stock fitting room. Furthermore, it is desirable that the prefinished outersole assembly 16 be formed as a unit comprising a sole element 40 and an attached finished heel 42.

One unique feature of the shoe construction of the present invention is the incorporation on the interior or flesh face of the outer sole 40 of an upstanding island 44 having a predetermined contour and a precise location with respect to the periphery of the outer sole 40. At sole laying, the island 44 fits into the open registration area 23 in the bottom of the lasted upper, as illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 17, thereby automatically interlocking the upper and sole with a degree of precision that has not heretofore been achieved in the shoemaking industry.

The island 44 can be manufactured from any suitable material in sheet form such as, for example, leather, insoling material or sponge cushion. The island can be cut from strip material comprising, in combination, a flexible material for the forepart portion of the island and a relatively firm material for the shank portion of the island. The thickness of the island 44 should be equivalent to the combined thickness of the upper 32 and its components. The contour of the island should be the same as that of the lasting means or plug 12 for the particular last with which it is to be used. It will be appreciated that both the island and lasting plug have substantially the same contour and size as the registration area 23 on the last bottom. If disposable lasting plugs 12 are employed, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 through 12, the same cutting die can be used to cut both the lasting plug 12 and the island 44.

The outersole 40 should be die cut or rounded to its desired finished contour, the island 44 cemented to the flesh side, and preferably the heel 42 attached, the edges of the heel trimmed and the edges of the complete outersole unit or assembly stained and finished at stockfitting. If the prefinished outersole assembly 16 is thus completed before it leaves the stockfitting room, the risks of damage to or staining of the upper 32, and cripples due to inaccurate trimming of soles already laid on shoes are eliminated.

The preceding paragraphs have described the preferred method of forming the island outersole assembly 16 by adhesively combining a sole element 40 and an island element 44. However, it should be understood that the outersole with its island can be formed by rabbeting off a circumferential margin from the flesh face of the sole as has long been done for turn shoes. The resulting circumferential area of reduced thickness should have a width approximately equivalent to the sum of the widths of the sole attaching margin 38 described above, plus the extension desired for the finished shoe. It will also be appreciated that the outer sole 40 and island 44 can be integrally formed by molding the assembly from a suitable soling material. Preferably, the molded outer sole unit should also emqbodyan integral heel.

I gThe above description has been directed to a prefinished outer sole assembly for a single soled shoe. However, the present invention is not limited to a single sole shoe construction. If it is desired to make a multiple soled shoe, the midsole (not shown) is fitted with the island 44, as described above, with a second or outersole (not shown) attached to the midsole by cementing' or stitching. For purposes of this application, the term s'ole element shall be considered as generic to both an outer sole and a midsole. Various decorative effects can be achieved with the midsole or single outer sole construction. For example, the extension edge of the outersole or midsole can be wheeled or a welt can be added adhesively or by stitching.

Referring for a moment to FIG. 16, the extension edge of the outersole 40 is defined as the portion of the outersole which is located outwardly from the sole attaching area which is indicated by the small letter a. The sole attaching area a of the outersole 40 corresponds in both configuration and area to the sole attaching margin 38 of the lasted upper shown in FIG. 17.

A shank or other stiffening means (not shown) can be incorporated within the area of the island. Other modifications of the island are, of course, possible including various combinations of shank stiffeners and island material which together produce the desired degree of stiffness and flexibility in predetermined areas of the finished shoe. All of these operations are preferably done at stockfitting, so that the outersole unit is completely finished before it is attached to the lasted upper.

The precision of the interlocking registration of the prefinished outersole assembly 16 with the lasted upper at sole laying, is one of the outstanding features of the present invention. It is this precision which makes it possible to finish the outersole assembly completely prior to sole laying, and which guarantees that each shoe will match its mate of the pair. The achievement of this precision depends upon the accuracy of the trimming or severance of the upper, the accuracy of the contour and placement of the cutting groove 18 and the positioning of the island 44 on the outersole 40.

The trimming of the upper and its components has been described above in connection with FIGS. 10 through 12. Although the trimming does call for a moderate degree of skill on the part of the operator, the operator is assisted by a number of aids for accurate work: first, the lasted upper can be spindled and turned as the cut progresses around the cutting groove; second, the interior face 18a of the cutting grooveto provides a smooth, firm guide for the knife to follow; and, finally, the material to be cut has been heat set, if leather, and at the time of cutting it is stretched and firmly held across the cutting groove in which the knife runs.

ISLAND REGISTRATION TEMPLATE The islands 44 for the outersoles 40 are preferably die cut, thereby assuring the accuracy of their contour. The soles to which the islands are to be adhered, are either die cut or rounded to their desired contour. The accurate positioning of the islands 44 on the outersoles 40 can be readily achieved by means of a template 46 in ring form, as illustrated in FIGS. 18 and 19. Although the template can be a flat ring having an exterior edge which conforms to the desired finished contour of the outersole, an interior edge which duplicates the size and configuration of the island and the last registration area 23, and a thickness no greater than that of the island, preferably the template 46 should be fitted with an exterior upstanding rim 48, as illustrated in FIGS. 18 and 19, or several upstanding lips (not shown) that lock over the edge of the outersole for ease of positioning and the maintenance of their proper position thereon.

Referring to FIG. 19, it can be seen that the exterior circumferential rim 48 extends above and below the two faces of the template by a distance which is less than the thickness of the soles 40 upon which the template is used, thereby allowing the same template to serve both left and right soles 50 and 52, respectively. As shown in FIG. 19, the inner surface 48a of the upstanding rim 48 has the same contour and size as the left and right soles 50 and 52. With the template 46 locked over the edge of the sole, as illustrated in FIG. 19, the insertion of the island 44 within the open registration area of the template assures the accurate positioning of the island with respect to the sole.

INTERLOCKING ISLAND ARRANGEMENTS The preceding description of the invention has been directed to a preferred embodiment thereof having an interlocking island 44 extending back into the interior area of the heel seat. However, for some types of shoes, such as womens shoes with high heels, it may be desirable to limit the interlocking island to the central area of the shoe bottom forward of the heel breast. Such limitation permits the use of a heel tuck or a combination of an extended tuck and shank, to which the heel portion of the upper can be lasted. In this manner, a base for the attachment of a high heel can be provided that would be firmer than that provided by attaching the heel only to the sole. The important consideration in this alternative construction is that the interlocking island has sufficient length to insure the proper mutual alignment of the sole and the lasted upper.

For the greatest degree of accuracy and economy, the area to be cut out of the bottom of the lasted upper and to be filled by the island on the outer sole should extend the full length of the shoe. However, variations in the length of the cut-cut and the island, to accommodate heel tucks, shank stiffeners and the like are of course possible. Preferably, any shank or other stiffening means should be located within the area of the island.

It will be readily apparent to those having skill in the art that as the length of the interlocking island 44 is decreased, its lateral control of the registration of the upper and sole is concomitantly decreased, especially at the heel area. However, a good shoe can be made as described herein, with only the forepart cut out and refilled by the island, provided that the lateral registration of the heel area of the two sub-assemblies is controlled by hand or by other means at the time of sole laying. It should be understood that these variations are within the scope of the process of the present inventron.

OUTERSOLE ASSEMBLY PREFORMING It will be noted from the foregoing description of the forming, assembling and finishing of the elements which comprise the prefinished sole assembly that, except for a completely molded unit, the operations on the sole assembly are performed while the major sole element is in a flat sheet form. It is easier to do this stock-fitting work, and the operation may be more readily automated, if the soles are flat. When the prefinished sole assembly is lasted and attached to the upper on the last, the sole must be conformed to the compound curvatures of the last bottom. The sole assembly resists this deformation and will tend to fight back towards its original flat form until it becomes set in its new conformation.

One of the features of the present invention is the short dwell time of the shoe on the last, and the speed and economy resulting from this rapid turnover. We have found it advantageous, especially with leather outersole s, to conform the sole assemblies prior to their attachment to the uppers. Since such preforrning is wellknown in the shoemaking art, it will not be described herein.

INTERLOCK AND OVERLOCK SHOE CONSTRUCTION Having described a preferred embodiment of the invention wherein the island on the sole interlocks in the opening of the lasted upper, we will now describe in detail an alternative embodiment of the invention utilizing an overlocking construction. Many of the advantages of the process in shoe construction can be obtained by practicing the teachings in reverse, i.e., by creating an overlocking rather than an interlocking sole. The overlocking construction has the advantage that no cutting groove or depression is used in the last bottom. However, for the same weight of outersole, the overlock shoe construction is bulkier, heavier, less flexible, more expensive and more subject to the risks of human error than the interlocking construction, yet it is 27 still less expensive than many available cement processed shoes.

THE OVERLOCK CONSTRUCTION Referring now to FIGS. 20 through 24 of the drawings, the overlock construction utilizes a single, thicker island or core 54 in place of the lasting means or plug 12 utilized in the interlocking construction. The overlock construction is created by a circumferential, raised band or welt 56 which is attached to a sole element 58, as illustrated in FIGS. 20 and 21. Preferably, the prefinished overlock assembly includes a heel which is shown by the dotted line in FIG. 20.

The method of producing the overlock shoe is relatively simple and can be understood by examining FIGS. 22 through 24 of the drawings in conjunction with the following description. The bottom of the regular shoe last 60 is marked with a circumferential guide line approximately three-eighths of an inch in from the edge, thereby defining a registration area corresponding to the registration area 23 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The area marked 1) in FIG. 22 corresponds to the area defined by land 22 in FIG. 2.

The core or island 54 is cut from suitable material in sheet form to a contour corresponding to the registration area marked off on the last. The thickness of this core should be essentially equivalent to the combined thickness of the upper material and its associated components, if any, plus the welt 56. Unless an extra wide welt is employed, a greater number of core patterns will be required than for the plugs and islands of the interlock method of shoe construction.

With the core 54 or an equivalent pattern temporarily attached or held to the flesh face of the outer sole 58, a square edged welt 56 is attached to the sole around the core or pattern, keeping the inner edge of this welt kissing the edge of the core or pattern. The outer edge of the combined sole and welt is then finished to the desired final shape and form. The completed overlook sole assembly, indicated generally by the reference numeral 62, thus has a raised band or welt 56 surrounding a depressed central core area on the flesh face of the outersole 58. Although it is possible to cut out the core area from the flesh face of a solid sole, this method is more expensive than a separate welt. However, it should be noted that either construction is more expensive than the interlocking sole assembly illustrated in FIGS. 14 through 16. g

The island core 54 is temporarily attached to the bottom of the last with care being taken that it is correctly positioned within the circumferential guide line marked thereon. Preferably, the attachment should be done with the flanged, roller wafers described in our copending application Ser. No. 607,053, filed .Ian. 3, 1967. If nails are used, the nails must be removed from the last before sole laying and after their removal, the core 54 would be floating and apt to drop out. However, by using the flanged roller wafers the core is held until last pulling at which time they come out with the last.

With the core 54 accurately positioned on the last and temporarily secured thereto as illustrated in FIG. 22, the upper 32 and its associated components, if any, such as lining 34 are drawn over the last and lasted only to the core 54. The lasted upper is allowed to dry or, preferably, is heat set and then the upper is trimmed off outside of the edge of the core, as illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 23. All of the severed fragments of the upper and its components must be removed from their attachment to the core 54. If nails were used for tacking the core to the last, they also must be removed. The lasted upper, with the core upstanding within its sole-attaching margin 64 and with this margin properly prepared, is now ready for the permanent attachment of the overlocking outersole 62 as illustrated in FIG. 24. Preferably, such attachment is made by adhesive, but other methods, such as, stitching can be used.

The sole laying can be done in practicing the process of the present invention by conventional methods, using cements and equipment currently available in shoe factories. With some sole attaching cements, the cement can be applied to the sole at stockfitting. In any case, the ribbon of cement should follow the rabbet close to the edge of the island on the sole in the case of the interlock construction or along the welt 56 in the overlook construction. At the same time, the core 54 is coated with adhesive to subsequently secure the core to the overlocking outersole 62. The spotting of the prefitted outersoles on the lasted and trimmed upper is both simple and automatic, interlocking or overlocking, as the case may be, there two pre-assemblies into a shoe which then needs only a sock lining and a shoelace to be a finished article.

TI-IE FINISHED SHOE Looking now at FIGS. 25 through 28, there are shown diagrammatically and in cross-section both lined and unlined finished shoes constructed in accordance with the interlock (FIGS. 25 and 26) and the overlock methods (FIGS. 27 and 28) of the present invention.

A. Lined Interlock Construction The lined interlock shoe construction illustrated in FIGS. 25 will be discussed first using the same reference numerals as have been previously used in connection with the description relating to FIGS. 9 through 16 of the drawings. Starting at the bottom of the finished shoe, as shown in FIG. 25, there is the outersole 40 and the island 44 superposed thereon and attached thereto. The outersole is secured to the inwardly turned exterior surface of the upper 32 or sole attaching margin 38, preferably by means of a suitable cement. As has been previously mentioned, the upper lining 34 is adhesively secured to the inner surface of the upper 32 in the area corresponding to the sole attaching margin 38. Thus, as viewed in FIG. 25, the upper lining 34 is adhesively secured to the inner portion of the upper 32 corresponding to the exterior sole attaching margin 38.

Since the inner surface of the inwardly turned portion of the upper and the island form a substantially planar surface, the shoe can be worn without a sock lining.'However, if desired, a sock lining 66 can be placed in the finished shoe and, preferably, adhesively secured to the inner surface of the inwardly turned portion of the upper and to the island. Furthermore, a slip insole or a cushioning element 68 can be employed either alone or in combination with the socklining. Preferably, the cushioning element 68 is adhesively secured to the socklining 66. For purposes of this application, the term unlasted foot-contacting member is defined as any unlasted, substantially planar element or elements which overlie the inwardly turned portion of the upper. Collectively, the socklining and cushioning element comprise an unlasted foot-contacting member.

B. Unlined Interlock Construction Looking now at FIG. 26, there is shown an unlined, finished interlock shoe having an outersole 40, island 44 and upper 32. Since the upper 32 is unlined, the thickness of the island 44 is decreased by the thickness of the omitted upper lining, as shown by a comparison of FIGS. 25 and 26. It will be appreciated, that a sock lining alone or together with a cushion element can be employed with the unlined shoe construction illustrated in FIG. 26.

The unlined interlock shoe construction depicted in FIG. 26 is particularly suitable for moccasin type shoes. Substantial savings in both materials and labor can be achieved through the use of the interlock construction. Many of these savings are interrelated and have a cumulative effect. For example, the moccasin plug can be sown off of the last by relatively unskilled labor. The plug is sewn to a one or two piece straight or strip vamp which is folded into the desired U-shape for plug attachment. The use of a strip vamp allows more vamps to be cut from a given skin and at the same time greatly reduces the amount of wasted material. Additional savings in material can be realized from the use of poorer portions of the skin for the hidden interlock island 44. Since the plug fitting registration and sewing are greatly simplified, the overall production time is appreciably reduced with a concomitant savings in the cost of manufacture.

C. Lined Overlock Construction The lined overlook shoe construction is illustrated diagrammatically in cross-section in FIG. 27. The

finished shoe comprises the sole element 58, welt 56, core 54, the upper and lining 32 and 34, respectively, a cushioning element 68 and the socklining 66. The socklining and cushioning element are optional because of the relatively flat and smooth surface of the inwardly turned portion of the upper and the central core.

D. Unlined Overlock Construction The unlined version of the overlock shoe construction is depicted in FIG. 28. It can be seen that the thickness of the core 54 has been reduced to compensate for the absence of the upper lining 34. The socklining and cushioning element are again optional in this particular shoe construction.

It can be seen in FIG. 28 that a line of Littleway stitching 70 has been used to permanently secure the sole element, in this case, outersole 58, to the upper along the sole attaching margin 38. Any one of the previously discussed means, such as, cement, tape, tacks and the like can be employed to hold the sole element to the upper until a line of stitching, such as Littleway stitching, can be added after sole laying.

COMMERCIAL PRACTICE OF THE LOCKED SHOE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS The commercial practice of the process of the present invention will normally require the following special equipment which is not now found in shoe factories: (l) lasts which have been modified or fitted as hereinbefore described; (2) dies to cut out the lasting plugs and islands; (3) dies or rounding patterns to cut the outersoles to their finished contour; and, (4) templates for spotting the islands on the outersoles.

Studies have indicated that the maximum time required for the turnover of lasts used for the complete cycle of shoemaking operations of the interlock construction, with twelve pairs per rack, should not exceed two hours. This quick turnover means that fewer lasts will be required than with present methods.

The dies for cutting the lasting plugs will also serve to cut the islands for the outersoles. We have found that it is both feasible and economical to use plugs and islands of the same length for each pair of sizes. For example, the islands for both size 8 and 8% would be the same length. Two widths of plugs and islands are sufficient for normal range of widths. For an extreme range of widths, three widths of islands are probably required. Thus, for a normal range of sizes, say for mens shoes in eight full sizes 6 to 13 inclusive, with seven intermediate half sizes, made in A to E widths, l6 island" dies (eight lengths X two widths) would be required. The lasts for this range of sizes would likewise have sixteen core sizes in their bottoms.

Dies or rounding patterns for cutting outersoles to their finished contour would be needed for each size and width, which, using the above example, would yield a total of 75 (15 sizes multipled by five widths). Likewise, the templates for positioning the islands would be needed for each size and width, a total of 75 templates, having only sixteen interior sizes.

It will be appreciated that the outstanding features of the shoe made in accordance with the teachings of this application are lightness, flexibility, durability, the precision of alignment of the sole and upper as described above, and most important, its economy.

The lightness of the finished shoe construction results from the absence of any lasting means in the finished shoe, the removal from the shoe of all of the excess upper materials and cement used in lasting, the preferable omission of a shank and the complete ommission of a bottom filler. Even if a sock lining and cushion are employed, the resulting shoe is still substantially lighter than a conventional shoe construction.

The economy of the shoemaking process and shoe of the present invention will be especially apparent in terms of the reduced cost for outersoles, labor, machinery, working space and time, and therefore, in overhead. The greatest savings result from the creation of the outersole as a complete prefinished sub-assembly. Since the prefinished outersoles are cut to their finished size at'stockfitting, savings in the range of 15 to 20 percent can be realized in the cutting of the original stock. Furthermore, rough rounding is eliminated.

All of the conventional shoemaking operations, such as, the trimming, staining and setting of the sole edges, heel shaving and breasting and the like, can now be done more accurately, less wastefully and more quickly than the performance of those operations while the soles are on lasted shoes as is necessary in the conventional shoemaking processes. This 'prefinishing of the outersoles, with the work done on them without the operators having to handle a heavy, lasted shoe for each operation, will produce substantial savings not only in the initial labor costs, but also will reduce the labor required for cripples, cleaning stained uppers and other corrective procedures.

It will be appreciated that the conventional insoles are replaced by lasting plugs for lasting, and by the island in the finished shoe. The lasting plug and island generally occupy about percent of the area of a full insole and can be constructed from a thinner and less expensive material than that commonly used for full insoles. The two components together probably should cost less for material than the full insole that they replace. Since the number of standardized sizes and widths for the plugs and islands is only a fraction of the number of insole patterns required for conventional shoes, the plugs and island can be cut to a predetermined size directly from the sheet material with a concomitant noticeable saving of both material and labor over the current practice which commonly introduces the wasteful intermediate step of cutting blockers from the sheet material and then cutting the insoles to the many sizes and widths that are required.

Additional economies can be realized in a number of other areas. For example, shanks, if used, can be incorporated in the island of the prefinished sole assembly, thereby eliminating the separate and time consuming step of spotting shanks. Further cost savings are also attributable to the elimination of a bottom filler.

The presence of the interlocking island, accurately contoured and positioned on the sole element, substantially reduces the time required for sole spotting and cuts the making time. Finally, the faster turnover of lasts, as described above, reduces the inventory investment in the lasts required for a given range of shoe sizes and widths.

Having described in detail a number of the preferred embodiments of the shoe construction and process of the present invention, it will now be apparent to those securing a sole element to said lasted upper; and, skilled in the art that numerous modifications can be thereafter completing the manufacture of the made without departing from the scope of the invenshoe. tion. 2. The method of claim 1 further characterized by We claim: heat setting the lasted upper before cutting out the last- I. A method of shoe manufacture comprising the ng Plugsteps of: 3. The method of claim 1 further characterized by temporarily securing a lasting plug in a predeter- Preparing the lasted pp for Sole attaiihing before mined position on th b tt f l securing the sole element to the lasted upper. lastin n upper t id l ti l 10 4. The method of claim 1 wherein said lasting plug is cutting out said lasting plug by severing the lasted temlmral'ily Secured in Position on h bottom 9 the upper along h d f the lasting plug; last by placing said plug in a depression located in the removing said lasting plug together with the upper bottom ofthe last material lasted thereto; 5 

1. A method of shoe manufacture comprising the steps of: temporarily securing a lasting plug in a predetermined position on the bottom of a last; lasting an upper to said lasting plug; cutting out said lasting plug by severing the lasted upper along the edge of the lasting plug; removing said lasting plug together with the upper material lasted thereto; securing a sole element to said lasted upper; and, thereafter completing the manufacture of the shoe.
 2. The method of claim 1 further characterized by heat setting the lasted upper before cutting out the lasting plug.
 3. The method of claim 1 further characterized by preparing the lasted upper for sole attaching before securing the sole element to the lasted upper.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein said lasting plug is temporarily secured in position on the bottom of the last by placing said plug in a depression located in the bottom of the last. 